Rahul Gandhi raises poor PMGSY road quality in Raebareli at DISHA review
Rahul Gandhi flagged damaged PMGSY roads in Raebareli at a DISHA meeting, showing photos and demanding clarity on construction agencies.
During a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting in Raebareli on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, highlighted the deteriorating condition of roads built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in his constituency.
Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to the district, presented photographs of pothole-ridden stretches to officials and named specific roads, seeking details on the agencies responsible for their construction. According to Umesh Bahadur Singh, a nominated DISHA committee member, the PMGSY executive engineer assured the meeting that the roads would be repaired. Gandhi also stressed the need for clear identification of construction agencies and proper maintenance of records for each road.
The meeting at the Collectorate was attended by Congress MP from Amethi, Kishori Lal Sharma, along with other elected representatives and officials. Uttar Pradesh Food and Civil Supplies Minister Manoj Kumar Pandey and Horticulture Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh were also present. Pandey later noted that around 16,000 small and major roads had been constructed in the district over the past five years and that 21.92 lakh people are receiving ration under the food security programme.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi met Congress functionaries and representatives from Raebareli, Amethi, and Sultanpur at the Bhuemau guest house. He also handed over two ambulances to the Health Department and inaugurated development projects worth approximately ₹3 crore. Gandhi left the Collectorate without speaking to reporters.
Separately, Samajwadi Party MLAs Rahul Lodhi and Shyam Sundar Bhati protested outside the Collectorate before the meeting, alleging that the district panchayat was ignoring local issues such as school closures, encroachment, and unemployment. Lodhi accused the state government of neglecting development and harming children's future, and questioned the district administration's response to Gandhi's parliamentary interventions on Raebareli.